Rya and Quin readied themselves for whoever was coming out of the tunnel. Rya's mind was racing and her heart was pounding against her chest. She didn't know if it had to do with the fear or the fact that she was still incredibly turned on.

'No! It's not the time to think about that! I have to be ready for whatever comes through that door.' Rya shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

"Well done, Percy! I don't know how you opened this door but I'm glad you did," said the familiar voice of Sir George.

Quinus sighed in relief while Rya quickly tried to straighten up her clothes. She didn't want to explain what had just happened between her and Quinus to the rest of the party. And once she looked presentable, then she began to relax and ran ahead of Quinus.

"Sir George!? Percy!? Dalia!?" Rya shouted out joyfully while running toward the doorway.

"Aha! Alpha! You're Okay!" Dalia cheered out with a grin as she pounced on Rya.

"Yooou~!" Rya happily returned Dalia's embrace.

"Sorry, it took us a while to get here, my Lord. We encountered some goblins, but we defeated them easily," Percy answered.

"Where is the troll? Did you kill it?" Sir George asked with a concerned tone.

"Yes, somehow we survived. Frankly, it felt like Rya did all the work. Since she was the one to take it out," Quinus said with a defeated tone.

Sir George raises his eyebrow at this statement. He had no idea that Rya was capable of such a feat.

"You were the one who killed the troll? How?" Sir George questioned while looking at Rya curiously.

"I-I didn't do all the work. If Quin didn't throw me his sword when he did then we would have died," Rya pointed out.

"But you were strong enough to send the troll to the surface to kill it. That's a great feat and you should be proud," Quinus replied proudly.

"Lady Rya, we are blessed to have you. I don't know how we can ever repay you for saving our Lord," Percy answered with pride in his voice.

"Aye, milady. I was too hasty in judging you because of your race... I see I was a fool in doing so... Just so you know, there is nothing in the world more beautiful than a woman who can use magic. Even though you might not think yourself worthy of such praise. You have my sword, Lady Rya." Sir George stated.

"I-I really appreciate that, Sir George," Rya responded with an awkward smile. 'I'm not used to getting so much praise. How are you supposed to act?' Rya thought to herself, not sure if she was supposed to bow or curtsy.

"Blessed, is an understatement, Percy… Alright, let's get going. I'm tired of this damned labyrinth," Quinus said as he sheathed his sword.

"Hmm! Agreed!... Come this way, my Lord," Sir George said with a bow before he took the lead.

"Hey, where's the Black Rose Merc?" Rya asks with a confused look.

"The coward fled to the surface... Haah, I wish I could have taken him out. But you were our priority, Lady Rya," Percy replied with a disappointed look.

"We will hunt him down, young one... As long as I get to come along... Or are you a lone wolf?" Dalia asked with a sly smirk.

"O-Of course I can hunt down someone by myself... But, I don't know how I could deny having you... erm, I mean, a warrior, such as you, by my side. I am at your command, Lady Dalia." Percy answered her with a bow.

Dalia smiles and wags her tail at Percy's reactions. She didn't know why but her instincts were telling her to poke and prod him for some reason. Of all the humans she'd been around, Percy was the only one to make her heart flutter. She never felt this way before and she needed answers on why she was feeling so weird.

She tried to ignore the feeling as the group made their way to the first staircase. But as time went on, Dalia became more and more frustrated with herself. 'What is this feeling?!' Dalia screamed in her head.

So, while the group started to ascend up the dungeon floors, Dalia came up close to Rya. In hopes of keeping her conversation private

"Alpha? I have a question?" She whispered to Rya.

"Hmm? What's the question?" Rya replies with a confused tone.

"When talking with the young one, I get an urge? Like, I want to poke him, but with my words?" Dalia whispers with a hopeful expression.

"Hmm? I think you want to tease him?" Rya answers back with confusion in her voice.

"Tease him?... That's it, yes! You're so smart, Alpha! But I don't know why I want to?" Dalia questions herself again.

"Well, Percy is a timid and obedient guy... So maybe you want to see a different reaction from him? One that you caused, instead of something else?" Rya tries to reason with her.

"I guess?... I'm not sure... he's only timid around me, and it makes me want to tease him. Ahh! This is so confusing! But, it's a good feeling and I think I want to feel more," Dalia answers with a giggle as her tail wags all over the place.

Rya was finally understanding what was happening to Dalia. She has a crush on Percy and she doesn't know what to do with it. This was going to be a fun thing to watch and she wanted to help Percy get a good girlfriend. Dalia seemed like a good girl that he would get along with. So, she was going to help push them together if she could.

"Alright, how about we talk about what kind of things you can tease him about? There are all sorts of things you can do to get a good reaction out of him," Rya offers with a mischievous smile.

"Okay! Please, teach me, Alpha!" Dalia pleaded, eager to learn more.

This made Rya smile at first but then she realized that she never teased a man before. She needed to recall what other women had done to her when she was a man growing up in college. It took some time before she came up with some good ideas for Dalia and whispered them into her ear.

The group continues to make their way through the dungeon, taking a break to eat lunch on the sixth floor.

"B-But what if he doesn't like that?" Dalia asked with a worried tone.

"Don't worry, Dalia. Just tease him a little at first, to see if he likes it," Rya states with a wink.

"Hmm... I will try when the time is right, Alpha... Thank you," Dalia says with a nod. She continues. "I have another question, though?"

"Yes?" Rya asks with curiosity.

"How were you able to mark Beta, without him marking you?" Dalia says with a shy smile.

"Huh? I don't follow. What do you mean I 'marked' him?" Rya asks with confusion in her voice.

"Hmm? But your mark is all over his hands and face? It's hard not to notice your scent all over him. And yet, he hasn't marked you? I've never seen a female own a male like that! I wish to mark the young one like you did," Dalia says with a dreamy look.

'What the hell is Dalia talking abou-' Rya stopped herself once it occurred to Rya what Dalia meant by marking Quinus.

'Oh God, she can smell my cum! She wants to mark Percy as I did to Quin!' Rya thinks to herself.

But that's when a sense of dread washed over Rya. Upon realizing what she had done. What she has become.

'No, I can't be mentally changing into a woman! That's impossible! Oh God, oh God, oh Goddess! Why did I let Quin do that to me? I thought it was the mana's fault at first. But I've been making fucking excuses! I must fight this! I don't know how I'll stop it, but I must! If things keep going the way they have been, then I will be making a huge mistake. I have to resist!' Rya tells herself as she fights the growing urges to change into a woman.

Rya had to focus her thoughts and not think about the events that transpired between her and Quin. If she were to recall the memory, then she wouldn't be able to control herself.

"Hmm? Alpha are you alright? You seem distracted?" Dalia asks with concern while looking at Rya's face.

"Ah! No, I'm fine! I... I just need to think for a second," Rya replies with a weak smile. "S-So you want to mark Percy, right?" Rya asks while she tries to regain her composure.

"Hm? Yes, I like to claim him as my own, Alpha. I like the idea of my mark all over him." Dalia answers with a happy smile.

"W-Well I think your best option is when we make camp for the night. You can do your teasing and hopefully, he will respond in a good way. Then you can take it to the next level," Rya suggests.

"But how do you get a male to go, down there?" Dalia asks with a questioning look.

"Uh... uh... well... You can just ask him, or you can gently take hold of his head and move it..." Rya stammered out with embarrassment as memories of Quin's smiling face came back to her.

"Is that what you did? Are you sure, Alpha?" Dalia asked with a worried tone.

"Yeah! And if he doesn't respect your wish then he's not good enough for you," Quinus chimes in with a smirk on his face while holding out two bowls of stew for them.

"Quin!?" Rya exclaims with shock. She didn't realize that Quinus was listening in on their conversation.

"Just adding a male point of view," Quinus assures her with a chuckle.

"Then I'll wait! Thank you, Alpha! And you too, Beta," Dalia replied with a smile as she stood up.

Armed with this new knowledge, Dalia had a hop to her step as she walked over to Percy. Percy noticed her approach and greeted her.

"Good afternoon, Lady Dalia. Is there anything you require?" Percy asked her with a smile.

"Hmm, a kiss from you would be nice," Dalia teased Percy.

Percy did a double take and his face flushed a bright red. His mouth opens and closes, trying to find words. Dalia just wagged her tail at his reaction.

"You get excited easily, young one," Dalia points out as she giggles at him.

"I-I apologize, Lady Dalia. I must have misheard you," Percy answers while trying to regain his composure.

Rya and Quinus looked on, enjoying the scene.

"So, how long do you think it will take, before those two shack up together?" Quinus asked with a smirk on his face.

"I-I think in about five days. As they spend more time together, their bond will grow stronger. It's already grown strong enough for Dalia to take the initiative," Rya answered with some blush on her cheeks.

'Goddess! My heart won't stop racing when I'm around Quin! I feel so embarrassed when I'm near him! What should I do?' Rya thinks to herself as she tries to keep calm.

Quinus couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Rya looked.

"Are you alright, Rya? You seem upset," Quinus asked with concern.

"Hey, do you mind if we take things slower right now? I'm having conflicted... feelings at the moment... And I could use some space to sort them out," Rya answered with a shaky voice.

"Oh!... Okay! W-Was it my fault?" Quinus asked with a concerned expression.

"NO! No! This isn't your fault Quin. It's... It's me. And everything has changed so fast that I need to get my thoughts straight. But please don't leave me alone, okay?" Rya tells him with a sad smile on her face.

"I... Alright, but if it was me that pushed you into doing something. Then, I'm sorry, okay? And I'll be waiting for you, my queen," Quinus tells her with a loving smile.

"Thanks, Quin. That's all I ask for. I'll let you know when I'm ready," Rya replies with a soft smile.

'I... I need to find out if I'm a straight man or a straight woman. Or am I Bi? GAH!... I don't know anymore!... Plus!' Rya thought to herself as a question popped into her head.

"Hey Quin, aren't you engaged already?" Rya asks with a confused expression.

"Eh, you heard about that... Haah. Well, I never met her, but she's a princess from the Alliance of the Divine Three... Sadly, it's a political marriage. Since I have a Demi-god level vein, they wish for me to become a part of the Alliance. They say that I'm one of the only four humans on this continent who has a Demi-god Mana Vein," Quinus explained to her.

"What!? That's horrible!" Rya exclaimed with a frown. She didn't like the idea of marrying someone that you've never met.

"Haah... Yeah... I don't trust them. But they cornered my parents and kingdom into that marriage, through the Prime Minister, who has the majority of the Major Noble Houses, backing him. I just want someone I can trust to be my wife and I guess I fell for you too quickly. I keep forgetting you're not an adult yet, even though you're older than me. So, I understand why you're uncomfortable," Quinus said with a sigh.

'Oh, Goddess. A political marriage. That sucks.' Rya thought while she felt annoyed for some reason.

She was hoping the fact that Quinus being engaged would have cleared up her feelings. But it didn't. It just made her more confused about her emotions.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. And that's understandable, I wish the Divine Three would stop coming after me. But I doubt that is going to happen," Rya said with a frown.

"Rya. If they dare come after you on my watch. I'll make sure they regret it, alright. I'll throw my fiancée in prison and go to war with them!" Quinus smiled with a determined look.

"You're just saying that to sound tough, but I appreciate the sentiment, Quin," Rya said with a smile as a warm feeling crept through her.

"Ahaha. I don't say things I don't mean... Anyway, you should finish your food. I'll check on everyone else before we leave," Quinus said with a confident smile.

It hit her again that her emotions were being clouded by Quin's natural charm. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts of these foreign feelings that keep coming back. No matter how many times she tried, the feeling would always come back stronger than before.

'This is the last time. After we get out of here, I'll stop and figure things out. But for now, let's get through this dungeon!'

With her mind settled, she quickly ate her lunch, while Quinus went to check on Sir George. Rya looked over at Dalia who was laughing and teasing Percy. Rya was happy for the two of them. At least she knows that one couple might have a chance.

Quinus returned and announced, "Alright everyone, we have a few more floors until we reach the surface. The Dungeon Core is dead, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any more goblins around. So, be on your guard."

The group packed up their things and got back to work. Rya was glad that they were close to the end. Or that's what she hoped, as they continued their journey.

 

It took the group to reach the exit of the labyrinth in about five hours as they traversed all the floors to reach the surface. Once they got outside, they saw a squad of knights from Fiafyr. They were fighting against a small group of goblins.